


When The Clock Strikes Midnight

by maschinenmensch



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Holtzbert - Freeform, Holtzbert Secret Santa, New Year's Eve, Tooth Rotting Fluff, sorry for the fluffy grossness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 17:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9134737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maschinenmensch/pseuds/maschinenmensch
Summary: When Erin's New Year's Eve plans go bust, Holtzmann makes sure she has a night to remember.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tittianamaslany (dancercofd)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancercofd/gifts).



> My fic for the Holtzbert Secret Santa Exchange. Please don't send me your dentist bills for the cavities this is going to cause...

Erin Gilbert had been staring at her phone incredulously for the last ten minutes.

_I should laugh before I start crying._

It was a little after 7pm on New Year's Eve. Erin was sitting on her bed in a short, tight black dress that had been hiding in the back of her closet unworn for months. She had been invited to dinner and a NYE’s midnight gala by a man she had met on a bust a few weeks prior. She hadn't really felt much for him either way (although she did admit he was quite attractive), but after chatting with him via text for several days he had invited her to be his date for said events. The physicist had hesitated at first, but Patty and Abby had implored her to say yes. Never having been good at resisting peer pressure, Erin had agreed. She had noticed that Holtzmann was oddly silent when it involved any discussions of the evening’s activities, leading Erin to wonder if the engineer was upset ( _or jealous? I can only hope_. _Wait, what?_ ).

So Erin had spent most of the day fussing. _What dress should I wear? Hair down or up? What are some topics of conversation that would be interesting and not too nerdy or boring?_ In the back of her mind Erin couldn’t understand why she was expending so much energy on a man she really didn’t have any interest in. And even deeper in her consciousness was the fact that her interests involved blonde hair, yellow glasses and a quirky smile that made her weak in the knees. But she wasn’t ready to ruminate on that. Mostly.

Twenty minutes earlier the physicist had received a text from her date: _I’m really sorry - got back with my wife over Christmas so I’m taking her to the gala tonight. Hope you understand. I’d still love to get coffee with you sometime._

If Erin was brash and self-confident she would have texted back immediately with a choice few expletives and a demand he lose her number. But after a few minutes of stewing, she had replied back with an _I understand_ , and a _have a nice evening_ and closed with _I don’t think coffee is a good idea but thanks_.

What bothered Erin the most was the nagging feeling that she’d always be alone. Sure, she now had three very close friends and had experienced more joy and a sense of accomplishment in the last several months than she had in years, but there was that feeling of emptiness that resided in her very core. That she’d never find that someone special. That she was destined to spend her nights solo, a cold space next to her on the bed.

As fate would have it, Erin was roused from her self-pity by her phone buzzing again. She resisted the urge to fling it across the room and slowly tilted her eyes downward to look at the incoming message.

It was Holtzmann.

_Hey hot stuff, how’s getting ready for tonight going?_

Erin hesitated. Should she lie and say everything was fine, hiding the shame of being stood up? But then the physicist realized she had never lied to Holtzmann, and she wasn't about to start now.

_I’m ready but he’s not. He stood me up because apparently he got back together with his wife._

The physicist couldn't help but twitch nervously awaiting Holtzmann’s response.

_What a dick. Do you want me to stuff some plutonium down his pants? I’m ready and willing to defend your honor._

Erin smiled. Holtzmann was always there for her. She wasn’t quite sure she deserved the engineer’s loyalty.

_Thanks Holtzy. I’ll be ok._

_Do you still feel like going out?_

_I don't know. I kinda feel like just going to bed and waking up in the new year._

_Don’t. Keep what attractive thing you’re wearing on and come see me at the firehouse at 9pm. We can bring in the new year together. I promise it’ll be a good time_.

Erin was surprised at the hot flash across her face at Holtzmann’s last sentence. She didn’t want to admit she felt more for than the eccentric engineer than simple friendship, but the idea of bringing in the new year with her set forth a bunch of romantic scenarios in her head unabated.

_Sure Holtz. 9pm?_

_Yep. Bring your appetite E ;)_

Erin looked at that winky emoticon for a long time. She imagined the possibilities for the evening.

_Maybe this won’t be such a bad night after all._

\---

Erin’s heels clacking echoed through the first floor of the firehouse. The lights were dimmed, and if the physicist hadn’t known any better, she would’ve assumed she was the only one in the building.

_Why the hell am I so nervous?_

“Holtzmann?”

Erin’s voice was greeted by the sound of footsteps rapidly descending the steps to the first floor. The sight that greeted her took Erin’s breath away.

Holtzmann wore a well tailored black suit, accented by a purple button down shirt and a colorful paisley tie. Her black and white dress shoes were shined, hair perfectly coiffed on top of her head, yellow tinted glasses resting on her nose.

The two women stood several feet from one another, both of them staring at the other in disbelief. It was Holtzmann who broke the silence first.

“Wow Erin. You - you look gorgeous.”

Erin couldn’t help the blush that was creeping up her face. She was wearing the short strapless black dress she had adorned earlier, simple silver jewelry and her comfortable black pumps.

“Thanks Holtz. You look really good too.”

“Eh, this old thing? I wear it to the grocery store.” The engineer winked. “May I take your coat?”

Erin smiled as Holtzmann stepped behind her to gently take her coat off her shoulders. She hoped the younger woman hadn’t noticed the slight shiver that ran through her body when her fingers lightly brushed her collarbones. Holtzmann laid her coat over one of the office chairs before turning and offering her hand to the physicist.

“I hope you’re hungry?”  

Erin slipped her hand into the blonde’s noting they were much less rough than she expected.

“Now that you mentioned it, I’m starving. I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast since I was fussing over this stupid date that never happened all day.”

“Forget about Shitty McDickerson and follow me upstairs hot stuff.”

Erin felt another warm flush spreading throughout her body as Holtzmann winked and lightly tugged her hand toward the stairs.

_Ok Gilbert, you need to start dealing with the way Holtz makes you feel. Because this is not normal, this is more like a -_

Erin stopped dead when Holtzmann led her to the top of the stairs. SItting in the middle of the lab was the kitchen table ( _did she carry it up here herself?_ ), adorned with a tablecloth and all the place settings. In the middle was a single sunflower in a vase.

“Um, since this was sorta short notice I didn’t have time to make anything for you. I ordered Thai, is that ok?”

Erin noticed Holtzmann was fidgeting, rubbing the back of her neck while pointedly avoiding eye contact.

_She’s nervous…_

The physicist leaned forward and planted a light kiss on the blonde’s cheek.

“Holtzy, it’s perfect.”

\---

Erin leaned back in her chair and laughed.

_I can’t remember the last occasion I’ve had such a good time with another person…_

The two scientists were halfway through a bottle of wine, Holtzmann amusing Erin by sticking a leftover pair of chopsticks in her ears and making ridiculous faces. They had spent the evening eating their fill, drinking and having conversations touching on an endless amount of topics. Erin didn’t think she’d ever been this relaxed having dinner with someone else before.

_If this was a date, it would’ve been perfect._

The physicist suddenly felt a pang of sadness, the realization hitting her that she really wished this _had_ been a date.

_I can’t deny what these feelings mean much longer…_

“Ah, crap! It’s almost time!”

Erin was snapped out of her reverie by Holtzmann standing up suddenly after checking her pocketwatch.

“Wait right here E - I need to get something from the fridge.”

Holtzmann booked downstairs, Erin watching with amusement. After a moment she heard the sound of footsteps rapidly ascending, the younger woman stopping at the top of the stairs with a bottle of champagne in one hand, two glasses in the other.

“I can’t vouch for its pedigree since I got it from the liquor store around the corner, but we couldn’t have a toast without the bubbly, eh? C’mon Gilbert, we’ve got 10 minutes left - let’s go up to the roof.”

Erin stood up, looking at Holtzmann curiously.

“What’s up on the roof Holtz?”

“You’ll see. Now c’mon - don’t take all year!”

The excited grin on Holtzmann’s face was contagious, Erin smiling broadly as the two women climbed the stairs to the rooftop. Once up there, the physicist noticed that Christmas lights had been strung around the perimeter, giving the space a festive glow.

“Oh jeez, I forgot you’re wearing that hot little number. Here -” Holtzmann put the champagne and glasses down on the ground next to her as she began to peel off her suit jacket.

“Aren’t you going to get cold Holtz?” Erin scrunched her nose with concern as the blonde slipped the jacket over her shoulders.

“Nah, I’m hot blooded.” Holtzmann winked, making the physicist warmer than any coat or jacket could.

“So, um. What are we doing up here Holtzy?”

Holtzmann stood closer to Erin, loosely wrapping her arm around the physicist’s shoulder, bringing her head so near to her own she could feel the blonde’s breath tickling her ear as she spoke.

“There!” Holtz pointed in the distance to a spot in the city that seemed to be full of light and sound. “It’s Times Square. If we’re quiet, we should be able to hear the countdown to the ball dropping. We have about two minutes or so.”

Erin was silent for a moment, and then swallowed.

_Take the plunge…_

“You know um, I’ve never had a kiss at midnight on New Year’s before.”

Holtzmann turned to look at her, eyes wide as saucers underneath her yellow tinted spectacles.

“Hey, that’s funny Erin. Because neither have I.”

Holtzmann licked her lips as she gently nudged Erin so they were face-to-face, the blonde’s hands lightly gripping her waist. Erin slowly brought her hands up to rest on Holtz’s shoulders. Their faces were so close they could see each other’s breath in the cold, winter air.

_10…_

_9…_

_8…_

Holtzmann brought her face even closer to Erin’s, their foreheads touching.

_7…_

_6…_

“Erin…”

_5…_

_4…_

“Holtz…”

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

At the sound of a loud cheer from afar, Erin angled her head slightly and touched her lips to the engineer’s. After a beat the kiss immediately deepened, Holtzmann gripping Erin’s hips and pulling her against her body, Erin running her fingers through blonde curls.

_Why did I wait so long to do this…_

Erin had no idea how long they kissed, only that when they finally separated the two of them were both breathing heavily, Holtzmann’s eyes clouded over.

“Wow, Gilbert. Where’d you learn to kiss like that?”

The huskiness in the engineer’s voice made Erin’s body tingle in several places.

“Not sure - I think you drew it out of me.”

Holtzmann gave her a lopsided smile before her expression turned serious, bringing a hand up to gently stroke Erin’s cheek.

“Erin - you mean a lot to me. More than I can adequately put into words right now.”

The physicist closed her eyes briefly at the sensation of Holtz’s hand against her face, the words she said hitting her full force. When she reopened them, tears were pooled in their corners.

“Holtzmann, I feel...the same. I’m just sorry I took so long to express it.”

“Don’t be sorry babe,” Holtzmann’s smile was gentle. “It’s a new year and we’re getting it started right ok?”

They kissed again sweetly, both of them grinning madly when they pulled apart.

“C’mon E - this bottle of champagne isn’t gonna drink itself. Let’s go inside and think of our New Year’s resolutions.”

Holtzmann leaned down to pick up the bottle and two glasses with one hand, lightly gripping Erin’s hand with the other.

“I know one resolution already Holtzy.”

“What’s that?” Holtzmann turned to look at Erin over her shoulder as they walked back to the stairs.

“To kiss you as much as possible.”

“I like that one Gilbert.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Have a Happy New Years dear readers! *kicks 2016 out the door and sets it aflame with a blowtorch*


End file.
